Premier League leaders Arsenal suffered a shock FA Cup quarter-final exit as they crashed to an embarrassing 2-1 defeat against second-tier Southampton on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s team was startled by Shea Charles’ late winner in a memorable quarterfinal victory at St Mary’s.
Ross Stewart put Southampton ahead in the first half, and Viktor Gyokeres’ equalizer couldn’t prevent Arsenal from suffering their fifth loss in all competitions this season.
After losing the League Cup final to Manchester City during the international break, the Gunners have missed another opportunity to end their six-year trophy drought.
Arsenal remain firm favorites to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004, owing to a nine-point lead over second-placed City.
After three consecutive second-place finishes in the first flight, this remains their major goal, with domestic cups ranking lower on their priority list.
However, Arteta will be concerned about Arsenal’s abrupt slip, considering their history of squandering good championship race situations in recent years.
The absence of 11 Arsenal players from international duty over the last two weeks owing to purported injuries prompted serious questions about whether they had prioritized the club over their countries.
Arsenal’s England stars, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, remained out, and Arteta started with Gyokeres, William Saliba, and Martin Zubimendi on the bench.
The north Londoners need to get back on track soon, beginning with Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting Lisbon.
While Arsenal licks their wounds, Southampton celebrates one of their best results in history.
Fifty years after shocking Manchester United in the FA Cup final, the Saints snatched another historic scalp as a second-tier club.
Southampton, dressed in yellow and blue commemorative gear to commemorate Bobby Stokes’ Wembley goal against United in 1976, put on a bright display that they struggled to replicate during their relegation from the Premier League last season.
Southampton made history by defeating Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since losing to Leicester in 2021.
Tonda Eckert’s team is aiming to return to the top flight and is unbeaten in their last 15 games across all competitions.
They currently sit seventh in the Championship and face sixth-placed Wrexham on Tuesday.
A quick counter-attack took Arsenal off guard, and Ben White misjudged James Bree’s cross, allowing Stewart to drill a low drive past Kepa Arrizabalaga from close range.
Arsenal equalized in the 68th minute when Kai Havertz cut his pass back to Gyokeres, who scored from six yards for his 17th goal of the season.
However, Brazil center-back Gabriel Magalhaes walked off with a knee injury shortly after, and Arsenal never recovered their rhythm.
Southampton capitalized on Arsenal’s defensive disarray in the 85th minute.
Tom Fellows ran to the edge of the Arsenal area and found Charles, whose controlled finish flashed into the far corner as St Mary’s roared.
